I recently purchased a Century 2X3 with the Graftar 103. I want to add a longer lens for portrait work, but am confused as to the maximum focal length I can use without going to a telephoto. Other posts suggest that I can focus a 250 at infinity, but that's not much help. What seems to be the longest simple lens format that I can comfortably use in a portrait setting?

AND - I'm not going to use the potato-masher flash gear. Any reason why I shouldn't remove the mounting bracket from the Kalart finder?

There's no reason why you can't remove the mounting bracket from the rangefinder housing if you're not using it. Keep the hardware and screws so you can put it back if you need to. For temporary use, you can always use a flash with the graflex clips on the "handle" side of the camera. The clips fit the handle lugs. The distance between the clips is increased in that case.

I haven't used longer lenses with a Century so someone else will have to answer that one.

The closer you want to be from your subject the shorter the maximum focal lenght lens.

So I made some assumptions. I assumed a minimum of 10 feet, no closer.

With the bellows MAX"ED OUT at 7 3/4" (from Graphic graflex photography) and a focus distance of 10 feet, you can use a 7 1/4" lens. If you want to move to 6 feet, then the max lens shrinks to 7 "

Now these are distances from the rear nodal point (the point where the light rays converge) which is behind the lens, where exactly it is isn't necessary, you just need to know that the longest lens will be a bit shorter than stated above.

To be safe, and get a little more flexibility out of it, I would use a 6 3/8" (162mm) lens. Granted that's not very long, but the bellows won't be strained when you use it all the time. If you can borrow a 180mm (7") lens you might want to try it.

I recently purchased a Century 2X3 with the Graftar 103. I want to add a longer lens for portrait work, but am confused as to the maximum focal length I can use without going to a telephoto. Other posts suggest that I can focus a 250 at infinity, but that's not much help. What seems to be the longest simple lens format that I can comfortably use in a portrait setting?

AND - I'm not going to use the potato-masher flash gear. Any reason why I shouldn't remove the mounting bracket from the Kalart finder?

thanks,
heller

Someone who posts regularly here (Henry?) reports using a 203/7.5 Optar on a Century Graphic. If I recall correctly, it focused fairly close for him, don't recall exactly how close.

I have a 210/9 Konica Hexanon GRII, a cheap used process lens, that I mount in front of a #1 Copal Press from a Polaroid MP-4 via an adapter Steve Grimes made for me. On a Century it will focus to around 4 feet. The shutter sits in front of the board and the lens sits in front of the shutter, so there's more extension than you'd think.

Costs? GRIIs and similar process lenses that easily can't be mounted in shutters seem to cost $20-50. MP-4 Copal #1 press (accept no other MP-* shutters, the Copal #1 marked "MP-4" has an "open shutter" lever, making it much handier than the others) shutters can be found for $30-50. These are typical flea market ("camera show") and great auction site prices. Mr. Grimes charged me $75 for the adapter, his prices may have changed since I bought it.

If I were you, I'd get a 203/7.7 Ektar or a 203/7.5 Optar and not look back. Less effort than what I did, and not much more expense. I paid less than typical, but was lucky.

I'm still confused. A 210 is more like a 8 1/2 inch lens, which you are focusing on 7 3/4 bellows. Is this possible? How much forward does the mounting move the lens? Maybe that explains the discrepancy.

I'm still confused. A 210 is more like a 8 1/2 inch lens, which you are focusing on 7 3/4 bellows. Is this possible? How much forward does the mounting move the lens? Maybe that explains the discrepancy.

thanks.
Heller

The 210/9 GRII is in quite a long barrel, the mount adapter holds it a bit out in front of the shutter, and the shutter is entirely in front of the lens board. This places the lens' diaphraghm (often more-or-less the rear nodal point) 3" in front of the board. It really does work.

Sorry for the delayed post, I've been out of town for about two weeks. Yes, I do use the Optar 203mm f/7.5 on my Century, in fact I recently did some architectural detail-type "close-ups" with the 203. "Close up" in this case was about ten feet, and that's with the bellows fully racked out and the front standard practically hanging off the end of the rails. But most of my work with the 203 is done at greater distances. At max extension vibration movement becomes a factor. I'll say this: the 203 Optar is a very sharp lens (at least, mine is---did I just luck out, or what?).

It sounds like I should be looking in the 165-180 range, just to be safe.

On a related issue, is there any reason why I can't flip the lens board upside down to better accommodate a cable release? I want to handhold the camera sometimes and I think it will be easier if I run a cable release through a handle on the left side.
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Last edited by hellerharris on Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:41 pm; edited 1 time in total